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Any way to format a drive and remove all the partitions

crazy pyro

crazy pyro

Joined
Jun 28, 2008
Messages
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Location
Newcastle
System Specs
Processor Intel Core i5 3570K
Motherboard MSI H61m-P31/w8
Cooling Stock
Memory 2*8GB DDR3
Video Card(s) XFX HD7850
Case Coolermaster Elite 330
Audio Device(s) Realtek HD audio
Power Supply Corsair RM650
Software Windows 10
My copy of vista's an upgrade copy which I foolishly forgot when I came to install it and now when it's gone into reduced functionality mode, tried installing XP and it entirely stopped vista booting or the bootable disk working. So I put 7 on and it's working again now but I still want vista to be installed so I'd like to start over with the hard disk removing all my partitions, any simple way to do that? Ideally there'd be a way to do it through the bios or something but I'm OK with doing it through 7 If that's the only way.
 
You could try wiping out the hard drive (writing zeros). I use webroot drive eraser.
 
Insert any Windows CD (Windows 7 will work just fine).

Boot from the CD. If you don't know how, ask me and I'll show ya.

Let the drivers load, then click Install.

Agree or whatever and click "Advanced" when asked where to install. Delete all partitions until it says "xxxMB Unallocated Space." Then create a New Partition. It will ask if it can make additional ones. Say yes, and then hit install. You will be left with a single fresh install of Windows 7.

Just make sure you back everything up to an external HDD first (AND DON'T HAVE IT CONNECTED OR YOU COULD FORMAT THE WRONG DRIVE!!!!). Even I did it once...


EDIT: Are you trying to dualboot Vista and Windows 7? I just re-read your post.
 
other option grab killdisk,
 
@Danish Devil I've got everything important on a 1GB memory stick (this rig's just for gaming so it's only game saves) and it's not plugged in. I'd like to dualboot 7 and vista but first I need to get rid of the mes of partitions, I'll give the other suggestions a try, thanks guys.Scratch that, XP's now booting so I can upgrade to vista (I've spent 6 hours getting it working, finally it might be over. Or not since it encountered a fatal error due to the disk being buggered.....)
 
Okay so if you want to dualboot, do what I suggested earlier, but with a few changes.

Instead of just formatting a new partition of the full drive size, calculate how many GB's you want for each installation, and create two partitions. Install W7 to the one you want it to go to.

After you install 7, with your options, you're going to want to install XP on the other partition first, then upgrade it to Vista. That should allow you to dualboot Vista and Windows 7.

If you need a walkthrough, let me know.
 
I was fine with vista and 7 dualbooting but 7 and XP don't play nice together. I don't even know if my XP disk's working now, damn people burning stuff to crappy disks (it's an entreprise edition copy off a mate).So yes can you please give me a walkthrough for doing it?
 
Well if your XP disk isn't working, then it's not going to work.

Just to be sure, this is what you have to work with, right?

HDD (could you let me know the size and what you want to put on each partition?)
XP CD
Vista Upgrade
Windows 7 Beta
 
Yeah, that's what I have.
HDD is the 500GB in my system specs, if the XP disk aint working I can get my mate to burn me another one (he won't mind if I give him a few writable disks in payment).
I'd like to have 50 or 60GB for each OS installation since I'll mainly be putting games on a third partition and sharing the installs between the two (Been told this works and it would be the simplest method.) Also that way me Fubarring an OS can't take all the data with it.
 
Okay. Use the Windows 7 CD to make the different partitions.

To boot from CD, most motherboards have an option that is shown on their POST screen or in the manual for a one-time boot (F12 is popular). If you don't then go into the BIOS and set CD as higher priority for boot than HDD, and change it back after you're done with the installs.

Use the Windows 7 CD. Let drivers load.

Choose Install.

Click Advanced when it asks you where you want to install Windows.

Delete all partitions (after everything is backed up).

Create two new partitions, the first one being for Windows 7. Say okay to Windows installing additional partitions. You want each of the partitions to be 61,440 MB for 60GB. It will create a 200MB partition for system files for Windows 7.

Then, once the two OS partitions are made, create one last partition with the value it gives you (which will be all remaining unallocated space). That is your game partition.

Select one of the 60GB partitions and install Windows 7. Then set it up the way you like it, blah blah blah.

Now you have to install XP in order to upgrade to Vista on the second 60GB partition. The process for a full install with Windows 7 is almost identical to both XP and Vista thankfully, so that one should be fairly self-explanatory. Follow the same steps up to where it asks you to install, and select the empty 60GB partition.

You might want to make the Windows 7 partition 60GB, and the Vista partition 70GB, or just different values as to not confuse yourself. Having different sizes helps differentiate which is which.

Just use google to figure out MB's out of GB's. Type in "60GB=?MB" and it will do the calculation for you.

Any other questions, feel free to ask, and this should get you dual-booted Vista and Windows 7!
 
Ah, cheers yay for deleting partitions.
 
Let us know how everything works out, mate :toast:
 
any windows cd , xp , vista , 7
 
Little late? :p
 
It appears to be working, cheers Danish. Disk wasn't dodgy after all despite several scratches on it, vista's installing now (slowly but it is installing at least). Just seems ridiculous that I couldn't just input an XP key and then the vista key from inside vista since I own both licences. Not sure I want to see the sight of XP ever again after today. Oh wait I'll have to since my school's computers can't even run XP stably let alone vista or 7.
 
:( Well, I would try W7 on it. It might run all right.
 
I was kidding about the school's PCs, my desktop's sorted now. The school PCs have socket 478 P4s or something rubbish, can't check since they block .exes on the school network but they have P4 stickers, pretty sure they're below the spec the majority of people on here would expect from an e-mail machine.
 
I ran into a problem once with this rig when i first built it.

at the time most of ours were still xp because of a few apps that no one understood how to run, so i was running 3 os's in two of these matching computers

at that time it was vista ultimate 32, xp 64 and xp pro corp 32 on three different partitions

what i soon discovered is if you do not boot vista first, you may not get it to boot at all

especially if you have to reboot vista in the future- at that time i was running everything i was testing in trial mode so every 15 days i was rebooting the whole thing:banghead:

so unknowingly i redid vista- after that nothing would boot- seems ms left xp in boot control priotity over vista cause they knew some die hards would wan to run both and there is actually a MS tech net publication dealing with this.

another option is get norton ghost, make a copy of each os to an extenal drive and then you can re do it anytime in about 15 minutes, and resize your partitions at anytime by using it-

as for vista upgrade- for those of you into newsgroups- seek and ye shall find

the other option- install the beta sp2- that will automatically let you run until may 10th of 2010

thats out there too, not hard to find- long live newsleecher!:toast:


but i didnt say that did i.....
 
It's fixed now, no problems.
 
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